It’s the end of an era, both with how entertainment now works and the fitting conclusion for a J-ent titan. Johnny Kitagawa passed away today at the age of 87, best known for the 1982 founding of agency Johnny’s Entertainment which went on to create Japan’s most incredible streak of hit male idol groups. Included are SMAP, Arashi, TOKIO, Tackey … Continue reading →
While the Mandarin speaking countries and Korea spent last week chattering about the Tzuyu snowballed political brouhaha, Japan was oddly absent from the fray because it had its own near national crisis to deal with. Thankfully it appears to be crisis averted, so let’s take a look back at what went down in the span of 7 days. Last week … Continue reading →
Been having the week from hell. This latest SMAP for Softbank CF lifted my spirits immensely. It’s the first time I’ve seen the guys not jam to Locomotion, or appear to be walking somewhere. If anyone’s curious, check out these older CFs here, and below I’ll also post another new CF set to Locomotion filmed in Singapore. But first you … Continue reading →
Didja all know 2011 is the 20th anniversary of SMAP? I sure didn’t. Somehow it seems like the boys-to-men have been around much longer than that. But in boyband age, especially in Asian boyband age, it might as well be a centennial in terms of it’s significance. If they play their cards right, they can very well be the Rolling … Continue reading →
On a special episode of SMAPxSMAP to be broadcast on July 18th, Jang Geun Seok will be a special guest on the show’s “Bistro SMAP” segment, cooking and goofing off with KimuTaku and co. A few K-stars have appeared on the show in the past, and it’s a testament to Jang Geun Seok’s sky-rocketing popularity in Japan that he gets … Continue reading →
I know, I know, I’m supposed to be writing a recap or something along those lines. But I can’t help it if I’ve been mesmerized by the collective awesome that is SMAP + DBSK. It’s about 15 years too late for me to fangirl SMAP’s actual singing or boyband performing, and I’m about a year too late to get on … Continue reading →
Does the world need SMAP in order to sell iPhones? The correct answer would be no, but the fangirl answer would be hell yes! When I was in Japan, I couldn’t turn the corner from Shibuya to Omotesando without bumping into a SMAP for Soft Bank billboard. The boys (okay, okay, kinda old dudes) were everywhere. And looking good, might … Continue reading →
